Debra Messing was ‘dismayed’ by Megyn Kelly asking a fan if Will & Grace turned him gay
(Instagram/Debra Messing)
Debra Messing has said she was “dismayed” by Megyn Kelly asking a fan if Will & Grace turned him gay.
Kelly, a former Fox News host, was interviewing the four main stars of the sitcom yesterday – including Messing, of course – ahead of its return to screens tomorrow.
In a surprise move, she asked for superfan Russell Turner to come up and join them on stage.
(Twitter/Jarett Wieselman & Megyn Kelly Today)
Turner a lawyer, was overjoyed to join the group, hugging each one with a huge grin on his face.
But Kelly’s first and only question for Turner was: “Is it true that you became a lawyer, and became gay, because of Will?”
He handled the question well, saying rightly that Will “has it made – lawyer, best apartment in New York City, and being gay – the trifecta.”
Closing out the segment, Kelly said: “I think the Will and Grace thing and the gay thing is gonna work out great.”
But the cringe factor was high, and following the incident, Messing said that she felt it too.
After posting a picture of food on Instagram, one of her fans responded: “why did you guys do the Megyn Kelly show? That’s a fail!!”
She hit back, revealing that she had no idea she was going to be on the first episode of Megyn Kelly Today.
Messing wrote: “honestly I didn’t know it was MK until that morning.
“The itinerary just said Today Show appearance.
“Regret going on. Dismayed by her comments,” she added.
Another fan asked: “What about offering to help her make some authentic connections to the LGBTQ community as opposed to being so dismissive?”
(Getty)
The film and TV star responded: “saying I was dismayed is not dismissive.”
The fan said they “truly appreciated” that Messing responded, adding: “I just thought your response felt like a missed opportunity to enlighten and enrich a colleague.”
The ninth season of Will & Grace will air in NBC’s primetime spot, and will contain 16 episodes.
(Getty)
All four original stars – Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes – are returning after a decade-long break, along with guests stars like Jane Lynch and Broadway’s Andrew Rannells.
On her Fox show, Kelly often made a comparison between LGBT rights and Christian rights.
At one point, she told her audience: “Gay rights are more and more protected and recognised in this country. Christian beliefs and Christian rights – not so much.”
(Getty)
She also mocked the physical appearance of a transgender prisoner, repeatedly calling her ‘he’ and joked that she wasn’t attractive enough to be in danger of being physically assaulted in prison.
And in one memorable segment, she accidentally called anti-gay Republican Mike Huckabee “Fuckabee” to his face, on live TV.
Watch the full Megyn Kelly Today clip here:
Here is Megyn Kelly telling a gay #WillAndGrace superfan, “I think the ‘Will & Grace’ thing and the gay thing’s gonna work out great.” pic.twitter.com/KyN9kVQ0rK
— Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) September 25, 2017
